Every social media user puts such great importance on building a large following on Twitter or group of Fans on Facebook. It definitely  is important  to connect with as many people as possible in both public relations and social media, however the strength of your connection is dependent on how well you know your audience.  Ask your followers questions about themselves. Gain a sense of who they are, and customize your responses to them based on their personal details.

]]> http://blog.thebuyergroup.com/prsocial-media-tip-of-the-day-know-your-followers/feed 0 http://blog.thebuyergroup.com/prsocial-media-tip-of-the-day-know-your-followers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The-Buyer-Group/~3/YO-DhQng554/prsocial-media-tip-of-the-day-put-a-face-to-your-name http://blog.thebuyergroup.com/prsocial-media-tip-of-the-day-put-a-face-to-your-name#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:09:19 +0000 sarah http://blog.thebuyergroup.com/?p=160 Put a face to your name and reveal who is behind your messages.  Whether it is the company’s CEO, social media coordinator or Frank from Accounting, allowing your audience to connect a real face and name with your content will help to foster a relationship and encourage interaction.

The CEO of Virgin, Richard Branson, is the face of his company’s social media presence.

Deerfield Beach, FL –October 15,2009– Wondering what your Tweets are worth? With Twitter’s new estimated value at $1 billion, there must be a very positive PR Tweetfactor. Lisa Buyer, president and CEO of The Buyer Group, joins Internet marketing experts in Las Vegas, November 10-13, at WebmasterWorld’s PubCon Internet Marketing Conference, highlighting the impact of social media on public relations.

Opening the conference as keynote speaker is Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who has made his mark as an early CEO adapter of Twitter as a PR tool. Zappos has become famous for its fanatical devotion to customer service, and Hsieh has proven the power of Twitter as a relationship-building tool.

“Tony has put Zappos at the forefront of the Twitter revolution within the CEO world,” Buyer said, “He’s been the CEO darling of Twitter and provides a perfect launching pad for the conference, which will be something to Tweet home about for sure.”

Incorporating social media tactics into everyday PR is The Buyer Group’s specialty. At PubCon, Buyer will delve into “the Twitter factor” and describe its power in a corporate public relations strategy. Buyer uses her own case studies as well interview results from other Twitter professionals who dish out the Tweets for PR and media purposes.

With over 15 years of business management and communications experience, Buyer understands the importance of engaging with customers in an online social sphere that encourages them to speak openly about brands.

“It is so incredibly important for companies to stay on top of the conversations surrounding their brands,” Buyer said. “Social media is opening the door for more people to broadcast their opinions than ever before in history. This change only adds to the responsibility of companies to actively engage with consumers and drive discussions that are mutually beneficial to both the public and their brands.”

Las Vegas PubCon 2009 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 10 – 13, 2009. The event will include sessions on search, Web 2.0, net marketing, SEO/SEM, affiliates, domainers, video, and multimedia and is sponsored by bing.com and Raven Internet Marketing Tools.

For more information, join the conversation on Twitter by following @lisabuyer and @pubcon.

About Lisa Buyer
When it comes to relationships, Lisa Buyer believes the chemistry between search, social media and public relations is exponential. As the founder of three media companies and current CEO of The Buyer Group, Lisa is ambitious about the influence public relations has on Social Media, SEO/SEM and continues to share her innovative approach with clients, peers and associates. The Buyer Group is an interactive public relations and branding agency in South Florida that also offers consulting services for agencies transitioning from old school media to today’s best search engine strategies. The Buyer Group’s PR/SEO clients consist of public and private companies in the technology, real estate and health/beauty industries.

Lisa is a Certified Google Adword Professional, member of SEMPO, SFMIA and past Agency Management Roundtable. She also publishes a PR/SEO news blog in addition to her social media involvement and expertise. When it comes to interactive PR and corporate communication – Lisa believes Social Media, SEO/SEM should be part of the boardroom marketing mix.

About PubCon
PubCon is an educational conference and industry trade show produced by Webmaster World Inc. Specifically designed for internet professionals, the conference focuses on topics related to search engine marketing and optimization as well as website publishing and management.

That’s how I would describe the karma-like way I met Sarah Van Elzen almost three years ago and our professional relationship to date. At the time, Sarah was fresh out of the University of Minnesota and a transplant to South Florida while I was transitioning The Buyer Group from a traditional to a digital PR agency.

Millennial New Beginnings
Fast forward to today, Sarah has decided to follow her dream of all things digital and has taken on a new position as a digital planner with an interactive agency closer to home in Milwaukee.

I want to take this time to acknowledge Sarah’s prolific dedication to The Buyer Group, above all, her honest work ethic and willingness to learn, grow and be resourceful. I could go on an on about the importance of honesty and ethics in the workplace, but let’s just say Sarah is a leading example online and offline.

So, let’s not say goodbye but good luck to Sarah, as we will continue to stay connected through our professional (and social) networks.

Hello Millennials
On the hello side, I want to welcome Susan Miller, executive admin for The Buyer Group, Stacy Kinney, social media editor and coordinator, and Arwen Taylor as SEO writer and blogger. Also, working virtually from the Gator Nation in Gainesville, Florida is Matt Innes, another Milllennial who will be taking on a permanent role working on the client services side of The Buyer Group.

What is a Millennial?
Millennials are the new generation of college graduates changing the way work gets done and were born between 1980 and 2000. They have 95 million cohorts and it’s their talent that helps drive a company into the new age of doing business.
I’m happy to have had the opportunity to work with a Millennial crème-of-the-crop like Sarah and share her with everyone. Please also join me in welcoming the new additions to The Buyer Group as we work together to socialize your business.

See you online,
Lisa Buyer

Become our fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebuyergroup
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thebuyergroup

According to a social media webinar presented by SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), more than 14% of CEOs are now actively tweeting.  USA Today Money Section’s Del Jones completed his story exclusively with CEO sources reachable through Twitter.

This statistic highlights SEMPO’s assertion that the future, if not the present, of all media is social.  Even more important to the world of online public relations is the intersection between social media sites and online search results. SEMPO stressed the point that search engines are increasingly displaying social media as top results.

The instant response platforms of social media sites have allowed for more to be said about brands than ever, placing new pressure on companies to monitor and engage in dialogue with consumers.

For information on how your business can use social media to its advantage contact Lisa Buyer at lbuyer@thebuyergoup.com.

Paul Wigoda tweets a few times a week. It may be about breast augmentation, statistics on pectoral implants or the difference between “smart” and traditional liposuction.

To date, some 122 Twitter users are “following” the doctor. He hopes he’s reaching a new audience with every tweet.

“This is just one more way to speak to patients and potential patients,” said Wigoda, who practices plastic surgery in Fort Lauderdale. “It’s a quick way to interact with them.”

As a physician whose practice is 10 years old, Wigoda isn’t alone – or even a pioneer – in using Twitter to promote his business. In February, surgeons in Detroit tweeted live from the operating room during a cancer procedure. Across the social media landscape, more physicians – and other professionals, like attorneys and accountants – are using Twitter to reach their target market and establish their expertise.

The “Twitter-verse” is the new social and commerce marketplace, even for professional service providers like physicians, said Marvin Dejean, CEO of Markcom Industries, a Coral Springs interactive marketing agency. While some physicians, attorneys or accountants historically have shied from marketing and advertising, social media outreach for many no longer can be ignored, he said.

“This universe is becoming larger and larger. It’s becoming the marketplace touching every commerce and consumer point you can think of,” he said. “Online is the next marketplace, and social media plays a tremendous role in that.”

Wigoda works with a local interactive marketing firm to write three or four tweets each week, which the firm then posts to his site. Tweeting a few months now, Wigoda often will write a blog post – maybe on a procedure or a special offer – then tweet about it, he said. Whether Twitter is driving new business or new leads are coming from his Web site or blog, Wigoda cannot say. But, he believes he cannot ignore that marketplace.

To read the full article visit the South Florida Business Journal.

Charlene Li, the Founder of Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell, gave her keynote speech at SES San Jose 2009 on the future of search.  Charlene described the “pyramid,” outlining your target market, in particular, those who are sharing the content you provide. Charlene also said that companies need to start at the bottom and reach out to those who are consuming and absorbing your content.  The first step is interacting with those consumers, which in turn builds a stronger foundation to market your product.

The video below shows portions of Li’s speech about CitySearch partnering with Facebook and also commentary from The Buyer Group’s Lisa Buyer and Pattie Simone, from Womenentrepreneur.com. Pattie suggests that companies are still silent about giving up control in the social media space when they should encouraging the use of this medium. Charlene confirms this saying that companies must create relationships in social media space in order to foster trust and authenticity. Lisa Buyer adds a client case study about how The Buyer Group has created relationships of value for their client using social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

The Buyer Group highly recommends the book Groundswell to all clients and prospects to get Li’s perspective and valuable insight on the impact social media and social networks for all businesses.

Friends: More than just titles, yes, we’ve got talent. Proven, measured, referenced and real! I’ve put together a trusted team of industry experts adding to The Buyer Group’s PR mix including investor relations, search pros, senior editors, social media elites, digital die-hards, and WOM (word of mouth) brand junkies.

Growth: Looks like I’m in the right industry. This week’s NYT said the PR industry will continue to grow at a steady pace. “Little growth is forecast to come from shrinking traditional media, instead, it will be drawn from areas like public relations.” Social media spending is expected to balloon to over $3.1 billion between now and 2014, while the trusted PR industry is predicted to lead all media growth according to this week’s New York Times article.

Speaking of social media, Interactive Producer Sarah Van Elzen and I host monthly social media webinars for clients like ShopToEarth @shoptoearth, a 80,000+ eco-friendly business network, as well as boating industry leaders Monterey Boats @monterey_boats.

Milestones: I welcome the latest addition to the client roster, RSource, a business services company specializing in revenue cycle management. In other words, they help collect debt and keep the cash flowing so you can focus on running your business. Healthcare, credit card companies and business leasing are the sweet spots for RSource. Follow them @RSourceNews.

Follows: I’m hitting the road next week to share all things search and social at @SESSanJose in California during August 10-14. I’ll be speaking on two panels: Using Search for Missing Persons and Using Twitter as a PR Tool. Stay tuned for an email from me with my full line up of sessions I’ll be attending. And, if you are in the mood for search, follow me through the conference @lisabuyer on Twitter.

Sidebar: TBG client Roy Oppenehiem @oplaw is hosting a free seminar tomorrow: “Should you Walk? Real Estate Workshop” if you or anyone you know needs advice on buying, selling or saving a home. Roy can help.

Hope you’re having a fabulous summer.

Lisa
P.S. Last but not least special thanks to our University of Florida summer intern Matt Innes @mattinnes who is now, all things social. We will be continuing to work with him virtually in the Fall as he returns to Gainesville for his last semester as a Gator.

Also, if you’re on Facebook, become a fan of The Buyer Group for current event schedules and blog posts.

Check out Matt’s video below for a sneak peak into Matt’s life at The Buyer Group.

Go Gators!